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Top positive review

Erik Larson’s newest book of “nonfiction that reads like fiction” is “The Splendid and the Vile”. (I was lucky to be given an advance reader’s copy). It’s the story of Winston Churchill’s first days in office, beginning in May, 1940, when he formed a coalition government with Labour, to lead Britain. There have been plenty of books about Winston Churchill but Erik Larson puts his own spin on this oh-so-important period of history.

But if Winston Churchill is the main character in the book, Larson has a wide ranging cast of supporters, including his wife, Clementine, his children (including his fascinating daughter-in-law, Pamela Digby), other government officials, and, of course, the British people, who faced down months of the German Blitz in 1940 and 1941. Larson does his regular meticulous job of research and the book is a reader’s delight. I was going to write “a history reader’s delight”, but then I realized that Larson’s writing transcends classification and appeals to so many more readers than a typical history does.

Top critical review

Before writing “The splendid and the evil” Eric Larson must had had a focus group that suggested he write something which would appeal to teenage girls and macho men. The result is a schizophrenic mix of dreamy romance and figures of blood and gore. Both his female and male protagonists wear the hearts on their sleeves, while ever ready to switch partners. Larson projects himself into the minds of many actors, including Churchill, but his portrayal of Mary’s childlike, naive romantic notions are and Pamela’s serial adulteries are the most annoying sections that crop up continually throughout the book.Clearly there is factual information here about the Second World War, especially from the British perspective. Churchill and the major figures are also documented in their historical and personal roles. Churchill appears as a virtual sociopath in his total disregard for the sensibilities of those who come in contact with him. His willingness to impose his personal habits on others was disrespectful at best.Readers who have not read more authoritative works will find the narrative informative, but may be frustrated by the structure of the book in many snippets, separated by longer fragments which seem to end in cliffhangers, designed to propel the material forward.I suggest a new cover with a semi-naked man clutching a similarly deshabilled damsel to his manly chest, surrounded by the wreckage of a bombed-out home. Searchlights and bombers as a background.

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Erik Larson’s newest book of “nonfiction that reads like fiction” is “The Splendid and the Vile”. (I was lucky to be given an advance reader’s copy). It’s the story of Winston Churchill’s first days in office, beginning in May, 1940, when he formed a coalition government with Labour, to lead Britain. There have been plenty of books about Winston Churchill but Erik Larson puts his own spin on this oh-so-important period of history.

But if Winston Churchill is the main character in the book, Larson has a wide ranging cast of supporters, including his wife, Clementine, his children (including his fascinating daughter-in-law, Pamela Digby), other government officials, and, of course, the British people, who faced down months of the German Blitz in 1940 and 1941. Larson does his regular meticulous job of research and the book is a reader’s delight. I was going to write “a history reader’s delight”, but then I realized that Larson’s writing transcends classification and appeals to so many more readers than a typical history does.

There are few historical episodes more well known to Anglophones than the Battle of Britain. Even the words Churchill used to help save democratic civilization have become cliches: “Their finest hour”, “Blood, sweat and tears”, “Never have so many owed so much to so few.”

Given that libraries could be filled with volumes dissecting almost every angle of Churchill’s life and WWII, it’s hard to imagine that Erik Larson could offer anything particularly original.

He has chosen, however, not to emphasize the extensive scholarship on this era, but to use journals and other primary sources to retell the Battle of Britain as it appeared to those in Churchill’s immediate circle. Thus, we get details as various as teenage Mary Churchill’s love of dances juxtaposed with his pet scientist’s ability to explain radar technology in a way he could understand.

These personal portraits, drawn from contemporary sources, combine to form a unique saga of what it felt like to be around Churchill in this troubled era. Accomplished with real brilliance, I thoroughly enjoyed Larson’s narrative.

Personal taste for this kind of history will, obviously, differ. Should history be recounted with more ample reference to other scholars? Does the personal inform the world-historical as much as Larson suggests?

These are questions which ultimately have to be answered by every reader. But, to my taste, this technique was an immense success in shedding new light on this dark, but inspiring era, in human history.

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As a longtime fan of Eric Larson I eagerly purchased his newest history The Splendid and the Vile (the title is based on a remark made by Churchill's private secretary John Colville. Colville was watching the bombs burst on London one night during a Luftwaffe attack). The book examines the first year Winston Spencer Churchill (1874-1965) served as prime minister from May 10, 1940 to the following May. During that momentous period the British suffered fifty-seven nights of bombing by Goering's vaunted Luftwaffe flying to Britain from their bases in Northern France and Belgium. In addition to his public role we see and become acquainted with Churchill's family especially his eighteen year old daughter Mary. We also meet his daughters Diana and Sarah who was wed to the entertainer Vic Oliver (whom Churchill did not care for). Winston's son Randolph was recently read to the beautiful Pamela but was unfaithful to her. Randolph had a serous drinking problem and served in the 4th Hussars and as a member of the British House of Commons. We even meet Churchill's big cat Nelson (named after Lord Nelson). During the momentous year of 1940 we see Churchill wooing US President Franklin D. Roosevelt as he fought to get Lend-Lease through the Senate. Americans were isolationistic in belief until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 catapulting into the war on an active bases as Britain's greatest ally. Churchill enjoyed good friendships with Lord Beaverbrook his air minister and good advisor Professor Lindemann among many others. This is not dry history! Larson writes like a novelist but his book is backed up by years of research. The reader gets to know the figures in the book and to care for their fates. England was a brave nation as in their finest hour they faced the horrors of the Nazi menace with great courage and determination to never surrender. Anyone who is interested in Churchill, World War II or history in general will profit from this excellent book. This is the kind of book which could well get a young person hooked on history! Kudos to Erik Larson!

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I have not started reading the book yet, although I am sure it will be excellent. I notice that the pages were accidentally printed upside down so they aren't facing the same way the text on the binding is! I do not have a problem with turning a book upside down, just wanted to let everyone know this may be an issue!

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I just received my book by Erik Larson "The Splendid and The Vile" and although I have yet to read this book I found it interesting that once I opened the box, took the book out and opened it - it was upside down! The book I received - and I cannot image that I will be the only one - was printed upside down. Hard to imagine something like this happening from Crown Publishing but, in the end, it just makes it more interesting!

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Before writing “The splendid and the evil” Eric Larson must had had a focus group that suggested he write something which would appeal to teenage girls and macho men. The result is a schizophrenic mix of dreamy romance and figures of blood and gore. Both his female and male protagonists wear the hearts on their sleeves, while ever ready to switch partners. Larson projects himself into the minds of many actors, including Churchill, but his portrayal of Mary’s childlike, naive romantic notions are and Pamela’s serial adulteries are the most annoying sections that crop up continually throughout the book.Clearly there is factual information here about the Second World War, especially from the British perspective. Churchill and the major figures are also documented in their historical and personal roles. Churchill appears as a virtual sociopath in his total disregard for the sensibilities of those who come in contact with him. His willingness to impose his personal habits on others was disrespectful at best.Readers who have not read more authoritative works will find the narrative informative, but may be frustrated by the structure of the book in many snippets, separated by longer fragments which seem to end in cliffhangers, designed to propel the material forward.I suggest a new cover with a semi-naked man clutching a similarly deshabilled damsel to his manly chest, surrounded by the wreckage of a bombed-out home. Searchlights and bombers as a background.

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I'm a big fan of Eric Larson and enjoyed most of his books. Lately, he's been slipping. And this one is simply phoned in. It reads like a cut and paste job. Larson found a bunch of letters and diaries from people around Churchill and interspersed snippets from them among bombing raids. Or so it seems. There is no real narrative. The story seems to be ... Churchill got handed an impossible job when he became Prime Minister, the Germans were really bad people who kept bombing England, many of those around Churchill seemed to be having a merry time while everyone else got bombed, and Churchill managed to get Roosevelt into the war (with the help of the Japanese who bombed Pearl Harbor). Sorry for ruining the plot but that's it. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. Mr. Larson, please get back on your game and give us something like Devil in the White City again.

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Perhaps I read this book too soon after reading Andrew Roberts excellent biography of Winston Churchill or maybe I have read too many books regarding Churchill and this period. While the story was good, I thought the history was only fair. It was sometimes more like a combination of history with a dash of British Tabloids than pure history. Mary Churchill's love life, while it may be important to some, seemed a bit out of place in a book dealing with Churchill's struggles both domestically and against Nazism. The same could be said for Jock Colville and Pamela Churchill's romantic trials. One glaring omission was the Halifax's peace initiative during the summer of 1940, which had the potential to topple the Churchill government and change the outcome of the war. No mention was made of this crisis and the little we read about Halifax is that he toured some bombed areas and was packed off to Washington to become ambassador. Overall a good non-fiction book, but not one of the best history books I've read on the subject.